Ukraine sever diplomatic ties with Middle Eastern state — RT World News
kyiv also wants to impose a trade embargo on Syria for its recognition of the Donbass republics
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday that it was severing diplomatic ties with Syria after Damascus recognized the independence of the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk in Donbass.
In a statement posted on its website, the ministry said it « strongly condemns » Syria’s decision, which it considers a « unfriendly act against Ukraine » And one « undermining its sovereignty and territorial integrity ».
« In response to this hostile act, Ukraine declares the severance of diplomatic relations with Syria without severance of consular relations », the message reads further.
Kyiv has also announced its intention to impose a trade embargo on Syria and is considering « other sanctions against Syrian legal and natural persons ».
On Wednesday, the Syrian state news agency SANA quoted a Foreign Ministry official as saying that the Syrian Arab Republic had decided to recognize the independence and sovereignty of the Lugansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic. .
After Russia, Syria has become the second country among UN members to officially recognize the independence of the two states that make up the Donbass region. The two republics decided to break away from control of kyiv in 2014 after a Western-backed coup toppled democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovych. Their decision prompted kyiv to attempt to reclaim the areas by force, leading to an eight-year conflict.
Following requests from the DPR and the LPR, Russia launched a military offensive against Ukraine on February 24. Moscow cited Kyiv’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, intended to give the Donetsk and Luhansk regions special status within the Ukrainian state. The protocols, brokered by Germany and France, were first signed in 2014. Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has since admitted that kyiv’s main goal was to use the ceasefire to save time and « to create powerful armed forces. »
In February 2022, the Kremlin recognized the Donbas republics as independent states and demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join any Western military bloc. kyiv insists the Russian offensive was unprovoked.
You can share this story on social media:
rt
